Another year of fantasy football. I don’t expect to have all the answers and some of these suggestions could be completely wrong. But I will impart my wisdom among you. It’s up to you if you want to believe my advice to be of any value. I may be completely wrong. Good luck in fantasy football this year!
1 – Broncos offense will be on fire again.
Let’s take a look at this offense right now. They didn’t really get worse. The loss of Eric Decker isn’t a huge hit but the potential growth in Montee Ball could be huge. Peyton Manning is still playing at an elite level and the receivers are still very good. I don’t thin the Broncos will repeat the same offensive numbers they did last season but I don’t think they will tail off that much either. If you get a chance to grab a Broncos offensive weapon, do it. Even kicker Matt Prater is the top kicker in the league in my opinion. I think at this point, you should look at how early you want to get at least one of the receiving weapons. It would be a good investment if you did.
2 – Running back stocks are still high, but there are very few that are elite.
Players like Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Doug Martin are the bellcows of their team’s running game. There are only a handful of elite running backs that you can trust to get all the big carries. But other than that, the running back by committee approach seems to be the situation going around the league. Look at the Raiders with Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew. Or even the 49ers with Frank Gore and the up and coming Carlos Hyde. Even the Cheech & Chong backfield of Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount could be splitting carries and touchdown opportunities. Be mindful of the running back you draft. If he’s not a bellcow, don’t buy too high. Try to get at least one elite running back early before going into grab and go mode.
3 – Grab a good tight end early.
Much like last year, a good tight end is hard to come by. Unless you grab an elite tight end like Jimmy Graham or Julius Thomas, you may be inclined to wait a little later in the draft to get your first tight end. But don’t think that the other tight ends are just average. Look for the passing game in the league to improve this year and more tight ends will play a role. You can still grab effective tight ends like Vernon Davis or Rob Gronkowski, but don’t sleep on the up and coming guys like Jordan Cameron or the consistent ones like Martellus Bennett and Greg Olsen. The position is a lot more important this year.
4 – Alshon Jeffery could put up bigger numbers than Brandon Marshall?
I jumped on the Alshon bandwagon last year and it paid off. This year, he’s no longer an unknown. With that said, that gives Chicago two huge weapons on offense. They can’t double team Brandon Marshall anymore. With that said, the size that Jeffery plays with might give him more opportunities in the passing game. A young receiver like him is about to break through this year.
5 – Colin Kaepernick will be a good fantasy option.
Last year, the hype was too high and the offense was too conservative. It appears that along with the core of Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin returning, the offense may stay boring. But add in Stevie Johnson and the possibility of Brandon Lloyd sticking around, this could be a very explosive offense. The window for the 49ers is closing and this is their last big year. Expect the team to go all out offensively and Kaepernick will benefit from that greatly.
6 – Johnny Manziel should be stashed.
Not sure how the draft will go in your league but if you can grab Manziel as a backup when you addressed your other positions, do it. He may be Johnny Clipboard now, but he’s too good not to see playing time this year.
7 – NFC West defense.
A couple years ago, the 49ers had one of the best defenses in the league. Now they’re the fourth best defense in their division. This is no joke of a defensive division. Don’t hesitate to draft a defense earlier than the rest of the participants do. A top defense goes a long way.
8 – New faces in new places.
There have been a good handful of fantasy options going to new teams this year. There are two that I am really sold on. DeSean Jackson’s arrival to the Redskins should give that offense a major boost. I expect that duo with RG3 to be fantastic.
Toby Gerhart did not endure too much in Minnesota and now with the Jaguars, this team on the rise could use him a lot to kickstart the offense. There are some other backups in Jacksonville that have potential, but right now, Gerhart is the one to keep your eye on.
Also keep an eye on Steve Smith as well.
9 – Young studs.
This league is stock full of young talent. Especially at wide receiver, this could be a year where we have an influx of great receivers. Young talents like Keenan Allen and Kendall Wright made huge splashes last year. Be mindful of rookie Brandin Cooks in that Saints offense. Also, young guys like Cordarrelle Patterson, Markus Wheaton and DeAndre Hopkins to be huge pieces to their teams’ success. Don’t be afraid to take a fly on a backup wideout that hasn’t established himself yet. If the ceiling is that high, they can do it this year.
10 – Hurt last year? You’ll be fine this year.
Randall Cobb, you’ll be good. Julio Jones and Roddy White, you’ll be fine. Take a look at good players who were hurt last year. Don’t let that prevent you from drafting them again this year because of the injuries. They’re healthy now, so get them.